It’s Jonathan here with our next weekly blog post for the upcoming event, THE RAGE THAT FILLS HER SAILS! This is last leadup post for our March DR:TX event written by our Overarc STs, Ed Sampson and Joel Vold. Today we will talk about some Characters of Note, a brand-new National Blueprint that will be very useful for the upcoming National Event in SoCal, and some Rules You Should Know before this weekend!

TICKETS ARE STILL ON SALE AT THE DOOR! SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND!

Character art is by the talented Avery Clarke, and our blueprint graphic was done by Aesa Garcia.

*Grand Admiral Sinker Swim, Leader of the Junkerpunks*

Characters of Note

Let’s talk about some characters that will be important to recognize this weekend:

Grand Admiral Sinker Swim

You might have seen a recent Signal for Aid from the Junkerpunks, but let’s talk a bit about another character that will be important this weekend - SINKER SWIM.

Thrust into a position of power, Sinker Swim is not only the ultimate leader of the expansive merchant fleet that makes up the Junkerpunk’s handshake-agreement network but now, a permanent voting member of the San Saba Board. The Saltwise pirate has been the heart and soul behind the recent successes of the wayward faction, and the foundation of the nearby settlement of Drywater.

Bouncing back from the precipice of destitution after a riotous party in the Clutch, the Junkerpunks have recently focused on becoming a bonafide rival to the San Saba Board. Thanks to their own gumption, and some unexpected support from the RRC and the Tribes Disparate, Sinker Swim has recently managed to push through the Drywater Settlement Package, which funded the founding of a new inland settlement to the west of New Bravado.

Generally understood to be a sort of roughshod, grating personality; Sinker has regardless been responsible for the safe arrival of hundreds of New Bravado citizens via the port at Lake Bravo. All of the exports that leave the New Bravado territory that don’t take the Oxline out, end up in the cargo holds of Sinker Swim’s merchant fleet.

Joanna Waves, the Strainscourge of the Seas

“Strainscourge of the Seas, Head of the Amaranthine Armada. Terror of the Waves. The Doom upon the Horizon. The Dark of the Deep. The Scourge of All That Sail.”

Joanna Waves is a force of nature and psionics, bringing death and destruction to whoever is in her path. She is thought to have been formerly a Saltwise Pirate Captain, a ferocious duelist, and a powerful Psion. She has many weapons in her employ, such as the Tentacles of the Anchor, an ancient Barogian relic, the choking Dark Water, her deadly Sirens of the Dread Captain, the countless Thralls that serve her with one life at the mast, and of course the insidious disease of the Black Spot.

But all of these are tied to her and her will. Through strange relics and determination, Joanna has made herself the focal point of the Amaranthine Armada, even beyond death itself.

An old song shared by sea dogs called “Joanna, Now We Mourn” may speak some truth to her origins, but wherever she truly came from has been lost to rumors and superstition. Common themes include her being an orphan of some kind that had to fight to survive. They speak of a great injustice done to her or perhaps her family, and the rage she felt against all that she considered foes. All the legends speak of the same thing, though — her rage was capable of propelling her beyond death, in her pursuit of vengeance.

Joanna leads the Amaranthine Armada at the helm of the Juggernaut, a massive oldcestor ship with heavy steel plating, serious firepower, and a relic-borne anchor capable of reaching into the very Mortis Amaranthine to call new sailors to her banner. She has no equal and as she comes to Bravado, she demands fealty and service on the Juggernaut to all those marked by the Black Spot.

There once was an orphan, who didn’t know her name.
And there once was a town that would never be the same.
The orphan lived there, always scraping by for life,
Her food and roof and self-kept safe by her knife.
The town didn’t care for the orphan, they didn’t want to know.
And this orphan couldn’t leave, for where could she go?
The orphan met a family, who took her in from the cold.
The family loved the orphan and welcomed her to the fold.
The orphan loved the family and had a place to belong.
And if nothing had happened, this would be a very different song.
But the town fell to ruin, crime and despair.
And they began to hate the family, and everything seemed unfair.
The town butchered the family, to take their food and cash.
But the orphan was stronger now, and with her mind did lash.
The town is left abandoned now, its people long since gone.
And the orphan sails the seas now, singing her lonely song.
The orphan swore that day, in blood and bone and tears.
That if she couldn’t live in peace, she would live in everyone’s fears.
All the fear and pain she’d felt, she would bring upon the Wastes.
And she’d never be scared again or trust herself to fate.
For the orphan had power now, and a terrifying name.
And now it was the Wasteland, that would never be the same.

*An artist’s depiction of Joanna Waves.*

New Blueprint!

During our EMERALD GALA event in December, we were given an option to make a new National Blueprint to represent the efforts of the town in creating the Emerald Arsenal. During that event, our players choose three of the possible seven choices, and here are the results of those choices — the SKYLINE DARKENED VEIL. This is a concept design by the peerless Maenad Wilder, our overarc ST for that event, and was one of the three player-chosen projects for the Arsenal.

Named after the Skyline family of Waking Prime, this device was thought to have been used to hide the floating sky-city over the years through clever use of mirrors and reflective compounds. This blueprint presents a new tool to use against the imminent Archon Incursions, and provides a way to stop the Archons from healing as easily if they can be lured into the room augment.

This blueprint will be seeded to the folks that signed up via a Zone of Mechanics during our December game and paid money for an investment into the Emerald Arsenal. Those players will be the first few to receive a copy of this print, and it will enter the public database after this event. For those travelers to our December game that invested, we will add this blueprint to their LIT inventory once it becomes available on the Characters Database.

Check it out:

rules you should know

Lastly, let’s talk about a few major rules you should know about going into this weekend:

DROWNING (DARK WATER)

Effect. The Drowning effect immediately drops you to 0 Body, regardless of what you had left, and you immediately enter Bleed Out. This condition is normally inflicted by Aquatic enemies, included in DARK WATER zone of mechanic effects, or the threat skill Dark Water Strike. The Saltwise strain and Full Dead strain are immune to this effect. If delivered with a Dark Water Strike, this can only be prevented by the Avoid skill.

How do you avoid Dark Water & Drowning?

Some Strains have evolved to either be able to breathe underwater with gills, or simply no longer need oxygen for their dead lungs. The Full Dead and Saltwise Strains are completely immune to DARK WATER and DROWNING and can call “No Effect!” if targeted by an ability.

Certain equipment, such as the Stormies Chaplain Rigging can provide some protection on specific Zones of Mechanics that involve DARK WATER, but only protect versus environmental effects and ways to remove folks from the offending area, not threat skills. These protections will be outlined on that specific Zone of Mechanics.

Some threats might call “Inflict Drowning, Full Dead & Saltwise Immune!” on a strike. If this call is delivered with an Attack or an Area of Effect ability, you must Avoid or prevent the effect to avoid entering Bleed Out. If not prevented, you immediately start Drowning. If you aren’t a particular protected Strain, this can be a one-hit kill!

In the environment, you will also encounter areas of DARK WATER will be clearly marked with blue glow sticks and yellow Zone of Mechanic sheets. Entering into these areas can be VERY deadly, so be warned! Skills like Enhanced Movement can be useful for quickly moving across patches of Dark Water, and some Sailing items can help you avoid being knocked off of a boat. But be careful of enemies purposefully using the inky black water as a weapon, especially if the Siren Song draws you into to the choking darkness of Dark Water.

NOTE: if you are in a Zone of Mechanics of DARK WATER, and received healing for some reason, DROWNING immediately affects you again and you immediately re-enter Bleed Out.

An injectable brew won’t save you from Dark Water if you are alone. You need to be pulled to safety first, THEN you can be healed. Make sure to take a friend with Enhanced Movement with you into that Sailing Mod!

BLOCKADE (PLOT EFFECT)

Characters may not use the Trade Connections, Sailing, or Criminal Influence purchase lists until the Amaranthine Armada’s blockade of Lake Bravado is resolved.

This weekend, the blockade of the Amaranthine Armada in Lake Bravado has completely shut off trade to the town. While the port is obviously closed, even the Ox cannot stop for long before needing to get out of the range of the cannons, so shipments of goods and materials have been shut down entirely. As such, you may not use the Buy List Skills you may have until the Armada is dealt with. Once this plot has been resolved, you will be able to make purchases as normal, but at the start of the game you will need to find other ways to get Grog, Crystal Candy, Rover Tea, and more.

Threat Abilities of note

Let’s talk about a few Threat Skills you will see on certain enemies during this next event. I’ve included the text of the ability that will be on our Threat Guides this weekend, and I’ll talk a bit about how it will be used to try to kill and murder your characters this weekend by certain zombie pirates.

Common Attacks:

Dark Water Strike: This is a powerful strike that fills the victim’s lungs with inky black Dark Water and drowns the target. Drowning reduces the target to Bleed Out immediately, as detailed above. Call “Inflict Drowning, Full Dead & Saltwise Immune!” on strike. Countered by Avoid, being a certain Strain, or certain equipment.
Dread Strike: Thralls and Sirens can purposefully recruit victims to the crew of the Juggernaut by spreading the disease of the Black Spot. The creature will call “Inflict Black Spot, no Mutant Resist!” Because the Black Spot is a unique disease, the normal resistances to diseases cannot be used by the Mutant Lineage. The NPC will give the LC an illustrated item card for Black Spot, printed with the rules for this mechanic. This ability is commonly used on a helpless target in Bleed Out but can be Avoided if delivered with a Strike.

Other Unique Abilities:

Dark Water Pulse: This is a powerful AOE ability possessed by some of Joanna’s crew that inflicts Drowning in a wide area. The creature will call “Dark Water Pulse! Area of Effect, Inflict Drowning, Full Dead & Saltwise Immune!”. Countered by some equipment that lets you avoid AOEs, and generally being out of range.
Whisper Walk: Some creatures like Sirens of the Dread Captain can use the Basic Stealth ability even under the effects of bright light or daylight. This psionic effect is countered as normal with Awareness, for 5 minutes, and certain equipment and augments.
Agonizing Scream: This ability is used by Joanna’s crew to identify Black Spot victims. The threat will call “By My Voice: Compulsion, All Black Spot AGONY 10 Seconds!”. Because this is a psionic ability, it can be countered by Basic Mental Endurance and certain equipment, like the Grave-Bell Shard. It uses a Keyword to deliver the ability, so if you are not marked by the Black Spot, this ability has no effect on you.
Siren’s Call: This dangerous ability is used by the Sirens of the Dread Captain to draw Black Spot victims closer using the Attract ability, particularly to draw victims into Dark Water areas. Call “By My Voice: Compulsion, Attract All Black Spot!”. This is a psionic effect and can be countered by Basic Mental Endurance for a five-minute period, or items like the Grave-Bell Shard. If you are not marked, this ability has no effect.
- Attract is a threat ability that lures those creatures or people with a certain Keyword towards the user. Those affected by it must move when possible, in the direction of the call, although if attacked they can stop to defend themselves - if an assailant withdraws, the effect reasserts itself. While they are not required to attack the source of the effect, most zed and raiders will, and critters will if their natural instinct is to do so. Player characters affected can make their own decisions as to what to do once they have arrived at the call, but MUST move towards the call regardless of the danger.

Unique Abilities of the Dread Captain:

Crew of the Damned: Joanna Waves will demand service of her Thralls, pushing them beyond their limits to enact her vengeance on a town. She will call “Crew of the Damned: By My Voice, All Thralls, Rise Again”. This will restore every Thrall of the Dread Captain who is nearby and in bleed out but have not been double tapped, instantly healing them to full Body. Even death won’t stop service to the Dread Captain.
Murderous Strike: Certain deadly enemies may make a melee strike and call “10 Body, Murder!”. If this damage would reduce you to 0 Body, you instantly DIE, as if you took a Killing Blow. This dangerous skill is countered by Avoid and some equipment and skills that prevents Killing Blows, like the Striker’s Coat.
Down With the Ship: Upon death or entering Bleed Out, Joanna can declare “Down With The Ship”, then she “sinks” back to the Juggernaut as a Fair Escape. This is NOT a Never Here effect OR entering the Grave Mind, so it cannot be stopped or followed by mechanics that call “No Escape” or follow someone into the Grave Mind. You’ll need to deal with the Amaranthine Armada AND Joanna Waves to succeed this weekend!

There will be a few more surprises for sure, but most of the enemies this weekend will have some variations of the Dark Water Strike and the Dread Strike. Remember, when you hear the INFLICT call, something bad just happened to you!

Wrap Up

That’s it for today Vados! We will see you soon at Camp Kachina for our next event, THE RAGE THAT FILLS HER SAILS! We are excited to tell you a story of zombie pirates and nautical terrors, and we hope you will survive the dreaded Amaranthine Armada. Stay sharp, keep your friends close, and above else make a decision — when the time comes to answer the Call of the Dread Captain, will ye RESIST or SERVE?

See you soon, Vados!